Irreversible
by BananaB0mb
Summary: The story of how Connor Cooper's life went from being near perfect, to how it suddenly took a tragic turn of events. Pre Sly 1.
1. A Night to Remember

**Well, here we are again… I've been debating on whether I want to even write this story in the first place, but decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with it. I know that there's already a ton of stories out there, trying to explain Connor's past, and whatnot, but figured it'd be fun to start from a certain point I have in mind. Now, I know it's not entirely original (I need to start being original, haha), but… -shrug- Well, regardless, I hope you all enjoy this story, and whatnot. **

**Should probably warn, most of this is going to be head canons again, considering we don't actually know much about Sly's dad, and what happened between himself, his wife, and his gang. So this'll be my interpretation of such things.**

**This will most likely not be updated as frequently as **A Game of Cops and Robbers**, considering I'd like to finish that one first, before shifting over my focus solely to this one. So don't be too worried about infrequent updates here. I just needed to get it written down and out there to see what the general reaction was. Anyway, go ahead and read!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sly Cooper, and friends. They are owned by SuckerPunch. Any characters not recognized belong to me, however.

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Chapter 1: A Night to Remember

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Chill, night air is what greeted Connor Cooper, as he walked towards a large, lit up mansion in the distance. It wasn't cold enough to warrant a thick coat in the Russian city of Svirsk, but brisk enough to make anyone shiver slightly. The moon, like a giant gemstone in the sky, seemed to pale in comparison to the estate before him. Made of pure white stone, with Greek inspired columns in the front, and with a perfectly manicured lawn in front, it could take ones breath away. Water shimmered in a rectangular pool in front, where a fountain threw the liquid into graceful arcs in the air. Trees lined the pathway, where Connor spotted a few of the other invited guests making their way to the mansion. They were all dressed elaborately, women in dresses made of pure silk, and men sporting suits made of the finest cloth. In comparison, the raccoon probably looked much shabbier, with his own English cut suit one of the only few he could 'afford' to get on such short notice.

Fixing the black tie across his throat, he tried his best to make sure the knot was securely in place, but cursed the fact that he had no mirror to check. His electric blue eyes searched the grounds for a moment, before he jogged forward, his tail trailing behind in a mass of mahogany, and black. He meandered to the pool, and faked admiration of the piece, before taking a quick look at his reflection in the water.

Even with it's rippling effects on the surface, he was easily able to see that his tie had loosened slightly from its full Windsor knot, which he quickly fixed. Once that was secure, he also ran a paw through his head fur, settling the mahogany spikes as much as he could.

Connor wasn't usually one for dressing up, preferring to lounge around in a pair of sweat pants, and a loose shirt. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do that here, lest he wanted to be kicked out on his tail before even stepping foot inside. That, and Marius had insisted that he dye his fur temporarily, in order to keep himself incognito for as long as possible. The gang wasn't quite as infamous as they could be just yet, but Connor's face had been flashed on the TV enough for anybody to recognize him with a glance. Just to be safe, he'd even glued some facial hair, a dark splash of colour on his upper lip. He only hoped that the scar on his chin remained unnoticed.

Once he was satisfied that his disguise was intact, Connor began the trek upwards again, flashing smiles at any of the women he happened to pass. Most of them were left looking away with a blush upon their face, even though they had a mate wrapped around their arm. Even then, Connor thought he might as well have some fun with this; it wasn't very often he had a chance to unwind and be alone.

Speaking of which…

Static suddenly crackled in his ear, causing the appendage to twitch slightly, as a voice with a slight, Southern drawl to it spoke. "How ya holdin' up there, Connor?"

"Just fine," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, keeping his eyes sharp for anybody around. Luckily, no one paid him much mind, so the raccoon continued on his way. "Just making my way up to the mansion now…"

There was a soft chuckle. "It's certainly takin' ya quite some time, eh?"

Connor couldn't help the grin that pulled at his lips, as he idly scratched at the rough fur on his chin.

"Cut me some slack," he said, flashing another debonair grin at a female lynx, who promptly gave him a seductive smirk. However, the panther holding her arm shot the raccoon a sharp glare, before leading his mate forward. "It's not easy having to climb the 5 km (3 miles) up to the damned place."

"You exaggerate," filtered in another voice, this one sounding much brisker than the last. "It's only a 4.76 km (2.95 miles) from the van to Antonovich's mansion. Now, focus Connor. You're only going to have one shot at getting the _Verdigris Diamond_, and we can't have anything going wrong. Or, letting yourself be distracted by a female."

The raccoon bit back a laugh, as he realized that was exactly what might happen. However, he tried to shrug off the simian man's worries. "Of course, Marius. I promise nothing will go wrong, and Coopers always keep their word."

He could literally hear the eye roll through the communicator.

"You always twist your words," sighed Marius. "But regardless, Jim and I will have no way to contact you during this entire heist, so either you concentrate, or you won't get your paws on that diamond, and our buyer won't be very happy. You realize that we need the money to pay off those debts?"

Connor paused for a moment, pretending to admire the garden at his side.

"Right," he mumbled indifferently, wholly unconcerned with these supposed debts they had to pay off. "How long do I have?"

"You'll have a 10 minute window while the _Verdigris Diamond _is being transferred back to its safe, so be prepared to take it and run. Lyov Antonovich isn't one to be taken lightly, Connor."

Barely paying attention to the last few words Marius told him, the raccoon cockily retorted, "that's 9 more minutes than I need," before cutting his communication off. He had just approached the front doors of the mansion, where the doors had been spread wide open to let light spill onto the darkened grounds. Two guards, both bulldogs with rather intimidating muscles, looked down at the rather thin raccoon, who gave them his best friendly smile.

"Evening, gentlemen," he greeted smoothly, while reaching into the breast pocket on his suit. The two men regarded the raccoon with a critical eye, taking in the rather shabby suit he had on, which looked to have been poorly tailored to his body.

Although slim, Connor had rather broad shoulders, with a thin waist that easily helped in his work. Having to constantly be on the run, had honed his body into a fit, but lean shape. However, the raccoon ignored the critical stares, and held the invitation he'd pilfered from one of the guests walking up to the mansion up for the two bulldogs to see. One of them, with narrow brown eyes, looked the invitation up and down, but found no forgery.

"Alright, go on in," he said gruffly, jutting his head to the side.

"Thanks, pal," Connor smirked, as he placed the invitation back into his pocket, and slid in through the doors.

The mansion had been rather impressive on the outside, but inside, it was breathtaking. Everything in the foyer, from the floor, to the two sets of staircases leading up to the second floor, and to the various statues, was made of pure marble. Every surface had been polished enough, to allow the room to appear as though it glowed with its own light, as the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling did its work. Connor was impressed by the extravagance, as he stood at the entry for a moment to take it all in. In comparison to outside, and to most other residences he'd snuck into beforehand, the raccoon had to admit this was one of the more luxurious ones.

But he shook off those thoughts, and continued on his way inside, nodding, and greeting anybody who happened to catch his eye. For the most part, many of the patrons attending the party were rich and possibly on the right side of the law.

However, Connor's keen eye caught many criminals that he'd seen photos of on Thiefnet, where Marius received most of their heist information from. From the mob lords, to drug dealers, to even someone he suspected to be a politician, milled about like it was a normality.

Shaking his head slightly, Connor made his way into one of the larger rooms, where everything inside had been taken out to allow everyone to walk about freely. Waiters in tuxedos strolled about, with platters topped with _Hors d'oeuvres _in hand, as they offered them to anyone who happened to be near.

He quickly took one from the platter, and popped it into his mouth. He had to admit, this Lyov Antonovich had good tastes.

Swallowing, he walked about once more, trying to make himself appear as though he belonged. Which was a little hard, considering he looked shabby compared others. Even then, Connor tried his best to appear suave, and he had to admit, he was doing a pretty good job of it. Quite a few of the women had already taken interest in the debonair raccoon, giggling whenever he flashed them a grin.

_This might be easier than I thought, _he thought to himself, as he took another sweep of the room.

Something caught his eye, and when he turned to look, he finally spotted what he had come to get in the first place.

The _Verdigris Diamond _had been set on a pedestal, just at Connor's eye level, with a heavy spotlight shining right above it. A heavy glass case had been set over top the diamond, so that no one could touch it, while the gem itself sat on a dark, velvet pillow. Lime green in colour, the _Verdigris Diamond _glittered beautifully under the light, each of its facets reflecting an array of colours onto any one who happened to walk by it. Connor carefully made his way over, taking a glass of champagne from a platter as a waiter walked by. The raccoon tried his best to seem uninterested, but inside, his heart was pounding, and he was already eager to try and get it now. But he knew that the diamond was heavily guarded, as he saw more bodyguards standing at attention in the shadows, just near enough to keep an eye out for the display and patrons. Connor approached the glass case, sipping quietly at his champagne. He wasn't much of a drinker, but thought he might as well indulge in the beverage.

He looked a bit closer at the diamond, studying the Trillion cut. It was rather simple now that he thought about it, as the lime green diamond wasn't carved into anything especially extravagant, but it was as large as his fist. Taking another sip from his champagne, he straightened, and flashed a grin at a rather curvy beaver who had been eyeing him. But he decided that it was best to just get on his way, and wait for the diamond to be taken out of its display to strike.

Just as he turned, the raccoon ran right into someone who had been approaching, spilling his champagne all over the front of his suit. He bit back a swear, his paw instinctively catching whoever it was that had run into him. "_Crap_ - I mean - I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was…"

His words died in his throat, and his jaw dropped open slightly, as he finally got a good look at just who he'd run into. His paw gripped the upper arm of a female raccoon, with lovely grey fur a notch darker than his own natural colouring. Long, chestnut hair fell across his shoulders in dark waves, framing her oval face, where Connor's eyes were drawn to a pair of chocolate brown eyes. The navy blue dress she wore hugged every curve she had to offer, and Connor had to stop his gaze from drifting to her well endowed chest. She wore barely any makeup, save for the light pink lipstick she'd put on, but Connor had to admit she didn't need any sort of makeup to accentuate her beauty. She was a bit shorter than he was by at least 3 inches, but judging by the heels she had on, he believed she was even shorter than she looked

She blinked up at him, and quirked a brow. "I'm sorry, but I'd like my arm back," she said flatly, making Connor start.

He pulled his paw away immediately. Silently, he wondered why he had been so quick to obey, but shook it off.

"Sorry, Miss," he repeated, drifting back into his persona. He also made sure that his voice carried the slight English accent that he had. Usually he refrained from letting it take over in his speech, but he also figured he might as well have some fun with this female raccoon. She didn't appear to be as taken by his looks as the other females in the room, which was something that he liked; Connor Cooper was never one to turn down a challenge. "I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going. I hope I didn't spill any of my drink on you."

Again, his eyes roamed her body, drinking in every curve.

She seemed a bit surprised by his concern, and shook her head. "No, you didn't. But your suit wasn't as lucky."

Connor looked down at himself, and spotted the dark stain all across his chest, which he knew would dry over time, but would be bothersome to get the smell out of it. He shrugged, and offered a broad smile.

"It's not a big deal. I can just throw it in the washing machine later tonight." A snort of laughter escaped from her.

"You're kidding, right?"

For a moment, he looked confused, which earned another round of laughter from her. It was then, that he realized just how stupid he'd sounded by saying that, but decided to go with the flow, and chuckled himself.

"As you can tell, that champagne got to me."

"So you're a lightweight?" she teased, making Connor chuckle again.

For some odd reason, Connor found himself intrigued by this female. In ways, she reminded him of Jim, as the two of them would usually tease one another. She was quick with her answers, and quick with presenting herself as someone of authority. Which, truth be told, he found a little odd, as she seemed just as ordinary as the other guests in the room. But he shook it off, and smirked down at her.

"You could say that," he responded, "but faced with a beautiful woman such as yourself, you're going to have to excuse my lapses in memory."

As he said this, he tucked a stray curl behind one of her ears, where a pair of diamond studs decorated it. To his satisfaction, a blush decorated her cheeks, and she refused to meet his gaze. Soon enough though, she regained her composure, and looked up into his eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you? You seem out of place in a room filled with rich businessmen." She gestured her paw out to the other guests, who were all interested in the diamond behind the couple, or in speaking to each other. He smirked again.

"Are you saying that I'm not good enough to be in a place like this?" he asked gently, making sure that he didn't come off as sounding offended. Thankfully, she didn't take it that way, but instead quirked a brow up at him. "Well, if you must know, I'm Harry Linford, and my business is quite successful enough that I was invited to this wonderful party."

She barked a laugh. "Of course. I could tell from the suit you're wearing."

To emphasize her point, she plucked a loose thread from his shoulder. Patting him lightly there, she smiled. "Regardless, you're different from the other men here, and I won't tattle on you, if you forgive me for bumping into you."

Connor found himself chuckling once more, not sure why he was feeling so at ease with this woman. It didn't help that she was rather beautiful, her appearance something that any mortal man would die for. He scratched thoughtfully at the fur on his chin. Before she could say another word or react, he grasped her paw, and kissed the back of it, smiling up at her. Another blush ran across her cheeks, but she quickly recomposed herself into a look of disinterest; which failed magnificently. Connor had to bite back a laugh.

"You're forgiven, Miss…" He trailed off, allowing her the lapse in conversation to interject with her own name.

For a moment, she seemed to hesitate, until she finally said, "Shirina."

_Shirina, huh?_

"What a lovely name, Ms. _Shirina_," he lilted, hiding his grin when she shivered slightly at the way he'd said her name. Although, he had to admit though, that he felt a slight tingle go up his spine just from touching paws with her. However, she pulled her paw gently from his, and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Linford," she replied, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. "But I have to ask… How do you-"

"Ms. Shirina!"

Both raccoons looked around for a moment, until a much stouter, and heavier set blue tongued skink made her way towards them. Despite being a reptile, Connor had to admit that the female was on par with Shirina, even with sharper features. Her dark sienna, and golden scales caught the light in the room, while her eyes were an odd combination of red and brown. The burgundy dress she wore, although much looser on her body than Shirina's, did nothing to hide her wider body, but she didn't seem to pay much mind to it, but rather fixing her eyes on Shirina.

"Yes?" asked the raccoon, sounding a bit miffed, which caught Connor by surprise. He took a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye, and noted that she looked quite unhappy with being interrupted, her pink lips pulled down into a slight frown. "What is it, Azura?"

The skink opened her mouth to speak, but happened to notice Connor for the first time. Her eyes narrowed, and she gently pulled Shirina aside, whispering just low enough for only the two of them to hear. Unfortunately for them, the thief's hearing was impeccable, and he managed to hear every word they said.

"Who is that?" whispered the skink harshly, throwing a look over at Connor, who tried to appear as nonchalant as ever. To give this effect away, he peered down at his ruined suit, and tried to appear put off by it.

"Just someone I bumped into," Shirina retorted, while crossing her arms across her chest. "What is it that you want, Azura?"

"Don't take that tone with me," she snapped. But then the skink's face softened slightly, and she continued. "I hope you understand it's not because I want to ask, but because your fiancé insists upon it."

The female raccoon sighed heavily, and shook her head. "He's always so demanding…" she murmured, more so to herself.

Connor could feel his ears droop slightly, at hearing that Shirina had a fiancé. But from the way she looked, it wasn't as though she was particularly happy about it. But Connor tried his best not to let the disappointment get to him, and he wondered just _why_ he was feeling that way.

_Sounds so cliché, _he thought silently to himself, grinning. _Meeting a beautiful girl at a party, and falling in love… That kind of crap only happens in fairy tales._

And yet, he couldn't help feeling somewhat let down by that news. However, he had no real time to dwell on it, as Shirina was now approaching him once again, so he quickly let a wide grin paint across his face.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Linford," she apologized, looking up into his eyes. "But I have some obligations to attend to. Again, I'm sorry to have ruined your suit like that." She pointed a finger towards his chest, where the large stain was now starting to dry, but the scent of champagne was still strong.

The thief waved a paw in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. It'll come out with due time. But thank you for indulging me in a delightful conversation. You really lightened the mood around here."

He winked at her, earning a soft giggle from the female raccoon. Shirina took one last look at him, before she turned, and followed the skink, both females soon lost in the crowd. Connor let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and turned himself, catching the _Verdigris Diamond _one last time. Somehow, it seemed unimportant now, but he also knew that if he went back on the heist, that Marius would never forgive him.

So, he went back into the crowd, shrugging his suit jacket off in the process. Luckily, the dress shirt he had on underneath was more than enough to suffice as proper dress code, slinging his stained jacket over his arm. He took another glass of champagne from a wandering platter, and sipped at it, now waiting for the opportunity that would arise. A quick glance at his watch told him that it would be soon, but Connor was now getting impatient.

The party was somewhat dreary, with nobody really laughing, and some others swaying to the classical music that played from a band. Connor watched everything with a bored expression on his face, somehow drifting back to Shirina. He couldn't understand why he was thinking about her again, considering they'd only really spoken for 10 minutes at the most, and yet he'd found himself at ease around her. Shirina had certainly been quite the woman, easy on the eyes, and sharp with her tongue. He had to wonder just who she was, and he felt another stab in his chest when he remembered that she had a fiancé.

_Not like I'd have a chance with her anyway, _he thought sullenly to himself, setting his empty glass on a windowsill.

Waiting was torturous, as the night continued to drag on; or at least it did for Connor. Another check of his watch had him holding back a groan of exasperation, as he saw that only half an hour had passed since Shirina had left.

Connor decided perhaps it was best to wander around again, rather than keeping to the wall where he'd been leaning on for the past while. The eagerness to flirt with any woman who happened to pass him, had now died, along with his urge to grab the _Verdigris Diamond _from under Antonovich's nose. He was just about to leave, and call Marius to let him known the heist had been a bust, when the lights in the room began to dim slightly, and the general murmur of the crowd silenced itself.

He blinked in the dim setting, looking around to see what was happening. He peered over the head of a short sow in front of him, and noticed that there were several lights pointed towards a stage where the band had once been playing. Now, a single grand piano made of polished wood stood on the stage, along with another figure that stole Connor's breath away.

_She _was there.

Connor strode forward, mumbling apologies to those he bumped into on his way to the front. He stood a bit further away than he would have wished, watching as Shirina forced a smile for the crowd, looking uncomfortable in her own fur. She took a graceful step forward, and sat down on the bench right in front of the piano, and took a moment to compose herself. Then she pressed her fingers against the ivory keys.

A sound like nothing he'd ever heard before, began to vibrate from deep inside the grand piano's belly. It was hypnotizing, and Connor found himself enjoying the sound, although it was rather simple compared to many piano masters. The music seemed to fill the large room, the mansion even, as Connor became lost within the notes. The way Shirina's paws drifted across the layout before her, almost as though putting every ounce into her soul into every note, was mesmerizing to say the least, and when the raccoon took a look around, it was obvious he wasn't the only one taken by it. Every face was turned upon the female raccoon, who continued to play, concentrating on every depression of a key. Connor wanted to hear everything, and it was only by chance that out of the corner of his eye, he happened to catch movement.

Despite not wanting to, he turned his head, and inhaled sharply when he realized that Antonovich's men were starting to move the diamond.

_Crap._

With his heist now in danger of being a bust, Connor took one last look at Shirina who continued to play, before he slipped through the crowd. No one paid him much heed, their focus solely on the beautiful raccoon female on the stage, which Connor found worked in his favour. In a way, he felt like he was using her, but pushed the feeling down to focus on his job.

Tossing his jacket to the ground, he crouched slightly to make his way forward as stealthily as he could. Luckily, none of the goons took notice to the approaching disguised raccoon, until it was too late.

Just as one of them had lifted the glass case from the diamond and set it aside, Connor struck.

His arm grabbed the skunk who was about his height, and weight, putting as much pressure as he could without breaking the skunk's neck in the hold. There was a bit of a struggle, to which the other bodyguard, this one a tall, bearded dragon, noticed and tried to give a warning. However, Connor had already done away with the skunk, and before the lizard could do much else, the raccoon aimed a knee right into his gut. With his opponents now incapacitated on the ground, one of them still coughing in pain, Connor stepped over both, and took the diamond in paw.

The music from the piano had just ended, and there was loud applause from the crowd, to which Connor suddenly wished he'd been a part of. Having to concentrate on the task at hand, had pulled him away from hearing the end of the song, but he figured it was well worth it in the end.

_Maybe not._

Disregarding that thought, Connor hurriedly stuffed the diamond into his pants pocket, and turned around, just to come face to face with the very same bulldog who had let him in the front doors a few hours ago. Connor's eyes momentarily left the bulldog, to see that the lizard had pulled out a phone, and had warned the other guards of the thief.

Connor smirked.

"I remember you," he grinned, pointing a dyed finger up at the bulldog, who snarled, his lip curling back from pointed canines. "You were the idiot who let me walk in through the front doors."

Growling in anger, the bulldog lunged forward only to fall face down into the floor, as Connor had easily flipped over the charging canine, to land on the other side. Not even bothering to check if the guard was getting up again, he looked up to see that the other guests had noticed the drama, so he beamed at them all.

"Nothing to see here, ladies, and gentlemen."

Then he was off, running towards the curtains that had been set up as part of décor, right beside a vent that he planned to use to escape. He heard plodding footsteps behind him, which warned him of the other guards who had surely joined the chase, and sure enough, when he glanced back, there were at least a dozen of them in pursuit. He chuckled, and pumped his legs harder, dodging any guest who happened to get in his way, even going as far as to leap frog over one of them. Gunshots from behind, had the raccoon ducking his head even lower, as he realized that these guys were serious about the diamond. The guests were now starting to panic, the women screaming in fear, while the men pulled them away from the chaos ensuing inside. They all began to run towards the entrance, panic causing them to find safety.

Regardless, Connor didn't let the worry over take him. If anything, the adrenaline that came from the idea of being shot, caused him to run even faster, and before he knew it, he had latched onto the curtains. His shoes managed to somehow find a grip against the wall, and he propelled himself upwards, amazed that the heavy cloth of the curtains and bar above held his weight.

More gunshots followed him upwards, one of them nicking his tail, which he quickly coiled around his waist in an attempt to prevent damage to it. His paw grasped the edge of the large vent, pulling the grating off in one swift moment. Still hanging from his position, he turned to salute with two fingers at the angered guards who were currently aiming their sights at the raccoon, and to the throng of guests still rushing to get out. From his vantage point, he managed to catch sight of Shirina, who was staring up at him in astonishment, along with what Connor suspected might be admiration in her brown eyes.

However, he pulled himself away from the sight with some sort of regret.

Before pulling himself into the vent, he tugged forcefully on the curtains, watching in satisfaction as the heavy bar holding them up in place, snapped from its holds, and fell with a clattering bang. Many of the guards dispersed in a panic, unable to catch Connor as he finally slipped into the vent, grateful for his thin body. It was quick work making his way upwards to the roof, as Marius had ingrained a map of the vent system into his head before the raccoon had gone into the mansion. It was dark, and rather tight in the vents, but Connor easily went through, until his fingers grasped onto his exit, pushing heavily until the grating fell with a clang.

He pulled himself out, and dashed across the rooftop patio, where a large pool, and several chairs and tables had been set up. Connor ended up near the back of the house, where Jim and Marius were waiting for him in the shadows inside the van. His ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching from behind, much to his surprise. It seemed as though Antonovich's men were a lot smarter than he'd first given them credit for.

Pausing for a moment, he flicked his communicator back to life, and said, "get the van ready," before turning just as the door to the roof top patio slammed open. He turned to them all, not at all affected by the dozens of gun currently aimed straight at any part of his body.

Instead, he smirked.

"Let it be known, that you all had the golden opportunity to be in Connor Cooper's presence! I hope you all enjoy the rest of night!" he announced in a loud voice. Barking a laugh, he quickly ducked as a bullet whizzed right by his head, clipping the very tip of his ear.

_That's my cue to leave._

Before any of Antonovich's men could rush forward, Connor leaped off the building, landing on a wire that had been set up just before hand by Marius. The wind whistled through his ears, the raccoon enjoying the rush that came with sliding down a slick wire. He landed on the ground with a jarring shock up his legs, but ignored it to run towards the revving van.

The doors were thrown open, revealing a short mandrill, who shouted, "get in, _now!_"

Not needed to be told twice, Connor leapt into the van, pulling the doors shut behind him. Marius turned towards the beefy walrus at the helm of the van.

"Drive, Jim!"

Always happy to oblige, the walrus slammed his foot down on the pedal, and the van swerved out of its hiding place, driving at break neck speeds towards the streets where they could easily loose Antonovich's men. They knew police were not a concern at the moment, considering that Lyov Antonovich would not contact any form of legal services, so they were practically Scott free.

Connor vaulted over the front of the seats, and settled himself there, leaning back with his arms crossed behind back. Unfortunately, Marius didn't allow the raccoon the luxury of resting.

"What took you so long?" the simian demanded, glaring at the raccoon angrily. Being older than the raccoon, Marius Metzger wasn't one who allowed Connor to run wild, which was especially difficult on heists, as the thief lived off the thrill. "Did you even get the _Verdigris Diamond_?"

Connor chuckled, and produced the lime green diamond as though out of thin air, halting any arguments Marius might have wanted to continue.

"When have I ever let you down?" he grinned, tossing the fist sized gem at the mandrill. Just barely catching it, Marius threw another exasperated glare at Connor, before sighing, and stumbling over to his laptop just as Jim cranked the wheel to the van.

Silence filled the cabin of the van, until Jim McSweeney spoke up, throwing a grin at his friend beside him. Being much larger than either of the other two, one would usually be intimidated by the muscular, purple walrus, but both Connor and Marius knew that he was a big softie at heart. "Marius, yer much too tough on him. Connor just likes to have fun!"

Grateful for the support, Connor turned around, and smirked in triumph at his other friend. "See, Marius, if you followed my example, you'd be the life of the party too!"

The mandrill scoffed, shaking his head. He chose to ignore the other two, who were now starting to joke around, and laugh from the front seat, focusing instead of contacting the buyer of the diamond. Although Connor knew that Marius was much more serious than himself, and Jim, the mandrill was also loyal to the bone, and was just concerned about his two friends. Connor was always willing to forgive Marius for snapping at himself, or at the walrus.

However, even as he continued to joke around with Jim, his thoughts began to drift ever so slightly towards a certain raccoon female.

_Shirina, huh? I wonder if I'll ever see her again. _

He hid his face away from Jim, who was now telling the story of how he had fallen into a pond, and gotten a leech stuck to his back, but couldn't help the image of the woman fill his sights. From her curves, to her soft fur, to her doe-like brown eyes, Connor had to admit she was nearly perfect in every way. Even from the way she had responded to him had been something he desired from a woman, but he blushed as he found himself devolving into something much less pure. He was only 24 at the moment, still young enough where those kinds of thoughts weren't unheard of, nor unnatural.

Jim, however, seemed to notice the sudden silence, and glanced away from the darkened Russian streets in front of him. "What's botherin' ya, buddy?"

Connor cleared his throat awkwardly, and flashed a grin at his friend. "It's nothing, sorry. You were saying?"

The walrus seemed as though he wanted to interrogate further, but instead only shook his head, and continued with his story. Connor only half listened, still lost in his thoughts, and wondering just what was making him think so much about a woman he would only see once in his lifetime. He looked out the window, and sighed.

_Well, this certainly was an interesting night…_

* * *

**And there we are. Man, it felt good to write something different, haha. Funnily enough, the beginning of this was supposed to go entirely differently, but after editing, it somehow formed into this. Also, fun fact: Azura Medina was supposed to be in chapter 11 of **A Game of Cops and Robbers**, but was cut out. So I just shifted her over to this, haha. **

**Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed it, and weren't too bored with it. I know it's a bit different than what I usually write, but had to get this out of my system before it was lost to the dredges of my hard drive. There's a shit ton of writing on there, but I almost never post them, or if I do, they get deleted. But anyway, hope it was enjoyable, and let me know what you think!**


	2. Face to Face

**Alright, new chapter for you chaps. I apologize for the time you all had to wait, but as I mentioned before, I'm not concentrating as much on this story as** A Game of Cops and Robbers**. Be assured though, if you're keeping up with that story, it **will** be updated soon... **

**A quick thanks to those that reviewed, or added the story to their favs! I really appreciate the kind words, and hope I don't disappoint with how this entire story will pan out, haha. Also, I'm going to start doing what I used to do a lot beforehand (and what other authors have done), and respond to reviews directly here. If you're not into that sort of thing, feel free to just skip ahead, and read the newest chapter.**

_**AnarchyTurtle: **_I'm glad to see you enjoyed it! And I know I ended up replying to you in a PM a while ago, but if someone happens to be reading this, then yes. It should be known that Shirina is indeed, Sly's mother. How she, and Connor are going to meet up again though, will be revealed later on, haha. Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter like the one before!

_**ForeverFreelancer: **_I know I've probably said this a couple of times already, but I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the last chapter so much, haha. I'm hoping that as I go on though, that the differences between Marius/Jim, and Bentley/Murray will become more apparent, since I'm sure they aren't carbon copies of each other, you know? Hopefully you enjoy this chapter as much as the last!

_**Mitch: **_Once again, you always manage to read, and review everything I write, and for that, I have to thank you. It's wonderful to see that this managed to catch your attention despite not having much to do with Sly, haha. Thanks for the review, and hopefully, you continue to enjoy my stories!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sly Cooper, and friends. They are owned by SuckerPunch. Any characters not recognized belong to me, however.

* * *

Chapter 2: Face to Face

* * *

"That's shower number three, and this dye is still impossible to get out," Connor grumbled to himself.

He scrutinized his image in the steamed up mirror, frowning when he saw that his fur had not quite fully lost its mahogany pigmentation. His fur was now a strange combination of grey, and red, which was a bit unnatural for the raccoon to see. Connor had been hoping that the dye would be easy to get out, considering Marius had been the one to suggest it in the first place, but thus far, it'd proved to be much more difficult than he'd first thought. The raccoon let out of a sigh, and leaned back from the sink, scratching at the rough fur on his chin. Although it was bothersome that his fur hadn't regained it's once grey lustre, he'd just had to live with it for now.

Grabbing the clean shirt he'd thrown over the closed toilet seat, he pulled it on as he stepped out of the humid bathroom into the cold hallway. His bare feet made barely a noise on the carpeted floor, a luxury that most of the safe houses during their heists never had. Even with the chill outside the hallway, Connor shook off the shivers running up his spine, and walked into the small living area, where Marius and Jim were currently in. A large, old fashioned furnace had been lit, giving the living room a warm glow, and instantly abating the shivers Connor had been experiencing. Although the safehous was rather shabby, it felt just right for Connor. He spotted Marius, as he always was, in front of his laptop, and ignoring the everything else in the living room. Curiosity spurred the raccoon into ignoring Jim pointing out the dinner on the stove, and walking up to peer over Marius' shoulder.

Although he'd snuck up on the simian man, Marius merely said without any indication of surprise, "done with your showers already?"

Connor watched as a myriad of windows, and chats popped up on screen, before shifting his gaze over to the quirked brow the mandrill was sporting. Connor ran a paw through his messy head fur, and sighed. "Kind of. That dye you suggested sucks, by the way."

Marius huffed. "It does not _suck_, as you so eloquently put. It was meant to do the job, and it did. And it doesn't require you to use up all the hot water."

"Oh come on, I didn't use it all," the raccoon laughed. He patted the mandrill on the shoulder, before pointing out the several chat windows up on screen. "Did you get in contact with our buyer?"

"Of course" the simian man nodded, barely skipping a beat. "I'm setting up a time for you to meet up with him. He wants to do this as soon as possible in Moscow, if that's alright." He turned to Connor, eyeing the raccoon, who crossed his arms across his chest, and grinned.

"Oh come on," he said, "it's not like you need to ask for my permission to set up a date. Just do whatever you think would be fine for us. How far is Moscow from Svirsk anyway?"

Marius sighed. "It's approximately 5146 km (3198 miles) from here. It'd take us a solid 3 days of travel time."

"Shit," Connor said without thinking. He grinned sheepishly at Marius, who shot him an annoyed glare, before the raccoon continued. "Why does he want to meet in Moscow anyway? That seems awfully out of the way, considering we had to travel all the way to Svirsk to get that diamond of his."

As he said this, Connor glanced over to the small safe that they usually kept with them on their travels. At the moment, the _Verdigris diamond_, and several thousand euros, Polish zloty, and rubles currently resided inside it. Even though the safe was out in the open, it was nearly impossible to get into, without either Marius or Connor opening it themselves, considering it would take their DNA, and several codes; a clever addition added by the two.

"Regardless, he did hire us, and we agreed to whatever terms he demanded," Marius huffed.

Connor sighed himself, and straightened. "Well, not much we can do then. Tell him that'll meet in Moscow 3 days from now. He'll have to set up where though, because I don't know my way around Russia at all." The raccoon chuckled when Marius rolled his eyes in exasperation, but agreed to do what had been asked. The raccoon patted the mandrill once more on the shoulder, before turning and making his way over to the couch, where he fell onto it with a soft thump.

"So, what's the plan?" Jim inquired, turning his attention away from the TV that seemed to be airing a Russian talk show. The walrus appeared interested in what had been discussed, as it would usually be Marius, and Connor planning things. It wasn't to say that Jim didn't participate in planning, but he usually preferred to skip the arguments between the raccoon and mandrill, or the teasing Connor did, in order to get the condensed version later on.

"Well, Jim," the raccoon grinned, leaning forward and snatching the controller from the worn out table in front of the couch. "We're going on a road trip."

* * *

**3 days later...**

Just like it had been at Antonovich's mansion the night of the party, the air was chilly and crisp, the moon bright in the sky. Clouds drifting across the night sky, seemed to promise that later on, there would be snow. Although it was cold, Connor barely felt the biting wind, his thick blue sweater managed to keep most of the cold away. At the moment, he was on the rooftop of the _Moscow Museum of Modern Art_, the meeting place that the buyer of the diamond had requested. It'd taken the gang about 3 days of non stop travel to get from Svirsk to Moscow, something which had been taxing for all of them. The distance had been long, but for them, it'd been well worth the drive, considering how many Euros they'd be getting for the _Verdigris diamond_.

Tugging his blue hat over his - now grey - head fur again, Connor surveyed the darkened area around him. Nothing stirred, but he could hear the activity the city had, from the cars passing the museum, to the pedestrians walking on the streets below. Despite being 2 AM, the city was still as alive as it would have been at 2 PM, with the exception being that the museum below his feet was closed for the night.

Connor let out a breath, watching the small tufts of cloud disappear in the wind.

"Are you sure this is the place?" he muttered into the small microphone hidden in the collar of his sweater.

"I'm sure," Marius confirmed, with a small hint of annoyance in his voice. "Just be patient, because you _are_ earlier than the agreed upon time."

"Right," the raccoon answered.

Static in his ear, had Connor wincing slightly, but he managed to catch Jim's voice filter through. "Gettin' impatient there, Connor?" the old walrus chuckled. "Don't try to deny it."

Connor rolled his eyes, but had no retaliation for his friend. He already knew that he was impatient, and it was miracle he hadn't gotten himself killed just yet, considering he liked to rush headfirst into many things. It would usually take Marius and Jim's combined reasoning to make him think his actions through first.

"Just wait for a bit," Jim spoke up again, sounding as reassuring as he usually was. There was a snort that had most definitely come from Marius, which caused the raccoon's mouth to thin, but again, he didn't say a word. "Trust me, that buyer will be there soon. From the way he seemed so anxious to meet up, I doubt he'd not show up in the end."

"Yeah, I know," Connor sighed.

Another quick look around confirmed that nobody had appeared while he spoke with his gang, so Connor took the moment to stretch his still stiff muscles from the ride, and twirl his cane in paw. Although the allotted time was still an hour away, the raccoon thief had hoped that the buyer would actually be there as early as he was, so they could both go their separate ways much sooner. Soon enough, he was tapping his cane against his shoulder, the slender shaft vibrating slightly under his gloved fingers, as he looked around as much as he could without giving himself whiplash.

He had no clue how long he stood there, waiting for the appearance of the buyer, his patience waning with each second. Just as he was about to call Marius back, and demand that they leave, something caught his attention.

Rather faint footstep from behind caused the thief's ear to twitch slightly in its direction. Instead of turning around however, he called out, "that's not a nice way to greet a guest. The least you can do is come face to face with me."

No response came, which Connor had come to expect.

"Is the buyer there?" Marius questioned, which the raccoon ignored for now.

He turned his head slightly, and looked towards the darkened doorway where the stairs leading down to the museum below were. The door had not been opened previously, and yet Connor was not surprised to see the door ajar.

A small smirk lit up his face.

"Come on, I don't have all night," he called over. He turned fully, so that he was facing the darkness head on.

Again, there was no answer, but Connor could sense someone was there. Of course, there was nothing to indicate anybody was around, but the raccoon knew it. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, and knew that it wasn't just his own imagination playing tricks on him.

"Connor, answer me right now," his simian friend now demanded, sounding slightly worried, but also annoyed that he wasn't receiving an answer. Connor was about to reply, when something clicked in mind, causing the raccoon to chuckle softly and shake his head in amusement.

"If you really wanted to talk in private, you should have just said so," he exclaimed towards whoever was watching.

Without a second thought, Connor plucked the ear bud from his ear - despite Marius' furious shouts - and tossed it towards the opened doorway. A loud crunch echoed across the empty rooftop, as a booted foot swiftly crushed the device. From the shadows, a tall, bearded vulture walked out, fixing the raccoon with bright, silver eyes. From what Connor could see, the avian was fairly well muscled under his thick jacket, and dark pants, the colours making him easily blend into the darkness. A mixture of red, white, and black feathers covered the avian's body, most of the red plumage slicked backwards, giving him a windswept look. As with most birds, he had very sharp looking features, with his beak giving him a perpetual frown.

The door shut behind the vulture with a soft thud. Despite that, he affixed Connor with a steady look, and said with a heavy British accent, "I didn't expect you to be so late, Cooper."

Connor appeared affronted by the notion. "Me? Late? I've been here for over an hour now, waiting for you to finally show up, you know."

The avian exulted softly, his beak pulling apart slightly to show a grin. "I've been here for over 3 hours, and not once did I see you check the area for someone. For a man with a reputation such as your's, I'm surprised to say the least."

"Hey now," Connor frowned slightly, while crossing his arms across his chest. "That's not a nice way to treat someone who went to the trouble of stealing a diamond for you." As he said this, the raccoon eyed the avian up and down. He noted that the taller male looked more than capable of stealing the diamond himself, which was now making Connor wonder just why the man had even bothered to hire someone off Thiefnet for.

"Do you have it?" the avian asked suddenly, crossing his own arms across his broad chest.

They were both silent, sizing each other up. Connor could easily say, that vulture wasn't someone he was going to take lightly. Not just from the muscles the buyter seemed to posses (which was a rather strange sight to see, as birds were normally reedy, or plump), but also from the hard expression across his feathered face. The silver eyes he bore, were rather unsettling, especially as they studied the raccoon. Although they were only there for one thing, something told Connor that there might be more to this transaction than he'd first thought.

A fleeting moment of regret fluttered in his chest, as he realized that having some advice from Marius would have been good just about now. But his means of communication was now in pieces on the ground, so Connor had to deal with this alone.

Without taking his eyes off his colleague, Connor opened the pouch at his hip, and pulled the fist sized diamond out. Even in the dim lighting on the rooftop, the gem glittered softly, throwing a dazzling array of colours across both of their faces.

"Wouldn't leave home without it," Connor smirked. "Do you have the money you promised?" The avian stepped forward, but paused when Connor deftly pulled his arm back towards his chest, his grip firm on the gem. With a wag of his finger, and a click of his tongue, Connor remarked, "not until I have proof you brought the money."

The avian appeared unamused by the display, his silver eyes hardening. But he simply gave a huff of annoyance, and pulled out what looked to be a white envelope from one of his pockets.

Connor's brows furrowed at the sight, until the buyer said, "this envelope has a card, which will give you access to the account with the money; 43, 000 euros, as promised. I've set it up personally, and I give you my word that there's no foul play involved."

There was a moment of hesitation, before the raccoon decided to go ahead with the aforementioned plan. He stepped forward, keeping his eyes fixed on the avian before him, trying to catch any form of deception. He was unable to find anything, and before Connor knew it, he was right in front of the avian. The two stared at one another for a moment, before Connor reached forward for the envelope, and snatched it from the feathered fingers grasping it, while also dropping the _Verdigris diamond _into the avian's waiting hand. Connor took a quick glance inside the envelope, and found that his colleague had not lied, a pristine bank card sitting inside innocently.

He quickly shoved the envelope and card into his pouch, and smirked when he saw the avian studying the diamond with a critical eye.

"It's the real thing," Connor laughed.

The taller male frowned, and pulled a cloth from one of his pockets, wrapping the diamond in it carefully, before depositing it into a pouch at his hip. "You can never be too careful, even with someone as honourable as yourself, Cooper."

Smirking, Connor said, "then you should know I don't try to trick anyone who's honest towards me." He patted the pouch at his hip where the envelope was. "This is a sign that I can trust you."

A chuckle escaped the avian, who replied, "if that's true, then perhaps you'd be interested in another proposition I have."

Connor quirked a brow. "What kind of proposition?"

The raccoon watched as his colleague placed a feathered hand into one of the many pockets of his vest, and pulled out a small, black box. A red light blinked steadily on it, but otherwise, the device made no noise.

"What is that?" Connor pointed out the device in the avian's hand with his cane. The very sight of it had been unexpected, and Connor wondered just what it could actually entail at this point in time. The device was certainly ordinary looking, as far as what he had expected, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than he'd first thought.

"How about I show you?"

The avian depressed the glowing red light on the small device, causing the raccoon thief to tense up slightly at the action. Connor's blue eyes swept the area around them for a moment, before he brought his gaze back to his 'friend' across from him, a smirk of his own pulling at his lips. "You'll probably be wanting a refund on that."

Instead of looking panicked, the smug light in the avian's silver eyes never left. "No, Cooper. I'm sure it worked. Listen now."

Connor frowned, and allowed his ears to swivel around for a second, before his eyes widened to hear the distant sound of an alarm going off just beneath their feet. Even then, the distant sound of sirens, surely cruisers that had caught the sound at the museum were now making their way towards them. The raccoon chuckled softly, and gave his opponent a steady gaze. "Wow, how smart of you. How could this possibly help us?"

Tossing the device over the edge of the building, the vulture then turned and smirked. "It's a test. I want to see if the infamous Connor Cooper is as good as they say."

Connor barked a laugh, and swung his cane back down so that he could lean his weight on it. "Really? What makes you doubt the stories?" His ear twitched to hear the sirens were now very close, a clear sign that Interpol would be bursting in on their conversation very soon.

"After seeing you, I was surprised to say the least," the taller male responded, looking just as relaxed as Connor. "You certainly don't look like the type to be a thief. You look more like someone who should work a 9 to 5 job."

The raccoon was silent for a moment, before smiling. "I can't say I ever found the appeal in earning an honest living, to tell you the truth."

There was now shouts from below, right at the entrance of the museum, along with the crash of the doors being forced open. Yet neither males made a move to escape.

"You're an interesting man," the avian mused. "But here's where you'll really prove to me that you're worth the praise."

He pulled a folded piece of card from one of the many pockets on his vest, and tossed it at the raccoon, who caught it easily. Instead of looking at it straight away, Connor tucked the paper along side the envelope into his pouch.

"That paper will tell you all the details," the vulture explained. "If you don't get caught, meet me at the assigned time, and place, and we'll talk. I trust you won't disappoint me, Cooper."

Footsteps were now thundering up towards their position, the heavy door leading up to the rooftop unable to mask the noise. Connor barely paid attention to it, instead watching his supposed client, as he turned away. The avian made a move to step off the edge of the building, but Connor called to him, "just make sure you have a good meal set out for me. I don't eat light."

Both males shared one more laugh, before the door to the rooftop burst open, and a slew of Interpol officers charged forward. All of their shock pistols were pointed directly at Connor, as they all shouted at the same time, "замерзать!"

Connor continued to stand where he was, just catching the buyer tossing a smirk his way, before leaping off the edge, and disappearing from sight. Chuckling softly at this supposed 'test', Connor finally turned his attention back to the officers in front of him. His brows rose in surprise.

"Look who finally decided to join me tonight," he called out brightly, swinging his cane back up to rest on his shoulder. "Took you long enough. I was waiting here for hours."

Looks of confusion passed through all of the officer's faces, some of them glancing at each other as though searching for an answer to what the raccoon might have said. "Что он сказал?"

"What, don't speak English?" Connor asked, amused in a way. He, for one, had never bothered to learn more than English and French, with just a sprinkle of German, so he had no clue what these officers were saying at all. To say the least, it made the thief want to laugh, just because of how ridiculous the scenario was. Deciding that perhaps showing rather than telling what he was going to do, Connor made a small shift in his position. The effect was immediate, all of the Interpol officers snapping back to attention, and aiming their sights directly at him. "Oh, so now you get it, huh?"

"Остановитесь, или мы будем вынуждены стрелять!" one of the men, a short spaniel, shouted from the front. Connor took a quick moment to study the man's appearance, and noted that the gold badge on his coat pinned the canine as the Captain.

"You must be the leader here, huh?" Connor grinned. He used his cane to point directly at the canine, immediately eliciting a growl. The raccoon barely had a second to react, quickly ducking his head as a burst of electricity came barrelling towards him. As he straightened, Connor frowned and felt the top of his hat, his gloved fingers coming into contact with a singed hole. He pulled the hat off, and groaned. "Damn, this was my favourite hat too."

"Следующий выстрел не пропустить!" the canine barked, his jaws clenched together in anger.

Connor sighed dramatically, and rubbed his twitching ears, shrugging. "How many times do I have to say I don't understand a word you're saying?"

Although the canine couldn't understand what Connor was saying, the raccoon's movements spurred him, and the others, into action. The sound of several shock pistols firing was deafening to say the least, causing Connor to wince at the noise. But he had no time to complain about it, as he launched himself upwards, spinning easily in the air as the bullets all passed underneath him. He landed on the edge of the roof, and grinned up at the officers, who all looked aghast at seeing the raccoon easily avoid their shots.

"I think you all need to work on your aim," he laughed.

Just a mere second after opening his mouth, another volley of bullets came rocketing towards the raccoon, who merely leapt back into the air, and landed with a soft thud behind the officers. They all whipped around in surprise, as Connor gave them one last grin, and then took off at full pelt.

The wind rustled his fur as he bounded over the gap between the museum, and another building beside it. He rolled to lessen the strain on his legs, and straightened to look back at the officers, who were all watching him with their mouth wide open, shock apparent in their faces at the display of acrobatics.

Connor chuckled, and cupped his paws around his mouth, bellowing, "come on, you guys! You can't catch me if you're just going to stand around!"

Finally, the spaniel was the first to break out of his trace, and shouted to the other officers, "Он уходит!"

They all sprung into action, however, Connor could see the hesitation in their eyes. Most of them were wary of leaping over the gap between the buildings, even though it wasn't that large of a jump. The raccoon chuckled to himself, as he realized perhaps these were all rookies, who were still unwilling to take the same risks he did.

"Hey!" he shouted once more, catching the attention of all his pursuers again. As though he was playing charades, Connor made motions with his arms, and fingers, showing his new found audience what they needed to do. "If you want to catch me, you're going to have to jump!"

His message was clear enough, causing the Captain of the ragtag group to growl, and bark something in Russian towards the others. Amusement pulled at Connor's lips, as he turned and took off at a run, not even bothering to watch if they had given chase. He knew that Interpol officers were properly trained, considering Connor had encountered such people beforehand in other countries.

They were always a challenge, and that was something the thief enjoyed about the chase.

A loud crack from behind caused the raccoon to duck his head, just as bullet rushed over his head, and crashed into one of the radio antennas on the rooftop. Laughing raucously as adrenaline coursed through his body, Connor glanced back, and was surprised to see at least a handful of Interpol officers now giving chase.

He smirked, but turned back, and launched himself into the air, landing with ease onto a wire spanning the length of a 4 lane street. Without another thought, he ran straight across, not paying much mind to the wind buffeting his body, nor to the bullets still flying past him. As he landed on the rooftop, he glanced down at the street below, and spotted several pedestrians staring up, and pointing him out.

Connor saluted towards the crowd, and hollered, "it's a nice night out, isn't it?"

More shouts of Russian reached his ears, but Connor had already turned away, and sprung into the night. He reached another wire, and leapt onto it, using his weight to perfectly balance atop it, as he slid down the slick wiring. He spotted the dark, grey van that Jim always drove coming closer to his location, and grinned to himself. Despite the fact that Connor hadn't communicated to either of his friends where he was, he wasn't at all surprised. It was just like Jim and Marius to always be on the lookout for him, and mark his whereabouts before they made their escape.

Connor had just slid off the wire, when more cracks broke the stillness of the night air, and bullets slammed into various areas around him. He took a quick glance upwards, and saw several officers had actually managed to keep up with him somewhat.

Again, he took a moment to salute them. "It was nice knowing you guys!"

"_Стреляйте в него!_" came a yell of anger.

Connor easily dodged the next volley of bullets, while the van's back doors flew open, with Marius urging his friend to go faster. The raccoon threw himself inside, and helped the mandrill slam the doors shut, just as Jim slammed on the pedal, and the van took off with a loud screech.

Panting from the run, Connor could only laugh breathlessly, and shoot a grin at his friends. "Thanks guys."

"This was supposed to be an easy transaction! _What happened?_" Marius demanded, his red eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that although Connor appeared out of breath, he looked wholly satisfied with himself. Sirens in the distance sounded, causing Jim to change his direction suddenly, jolting them inside. Connor's grin widened.

He pulled out the piece of folded card the avian had give him, and held it up for Marius to see.

"I just got us a new job."

* * *

**And there we are. **

**Did this chapter live up to expectations? I certainly hope so, haha. Generally when I write, the hardest bits for me, are the first few chapters, just because building up to the action/scenes can be hard for me. That, and I have this horrible tendency to get impatient; something I'm working on. **

**Also, I hope the fact that I didn't translate the Russian doesn't make any one angry. Also, please excuse the fact that it could be wrong; Google translater is pretty good, but it's always worrisome to use it (for me anyway). I just thought it'd be a fun thing to show, considering Connor has no clue what the hell they're saying to him, so maybe the audience shouldn't either. Keep in mind, this is going to come into play later on as well, haha. But if enough people hate that idea, then I'll go ahead and edit the translations in for you guys.**

**Regardless, I hope anyone reading this, enjoyed it. Until next time, fellow readers!**


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